The Lake of Dead Languages: A Novel (2002 original; edició 2005)

I had to read to the end, so the book has that going for it. But, as some others have said, it needed some editing and some work on the narrator. The ending was also telegraphed early and then melodramatically played out. The denouement was sweeter than the sweetest high fructose corn syrup. But still glad I read it. ( )

This is a very good novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. It kept me interested until the end. The ‘action’ scene at the ending was a little overdone, but I guess it was plausible.... I’m not sure. I just kept thinking someone else could have helped the main character out just a bit more, then.
Vivienne Benesch is the narrator, and she was great with the different voices of the characters, and the pronunciation of Latin and French.

3.75 stars, and recommended to those who love those slightly atmospheric novels that belong in all girl schools, have murder in them, and where you can’t trust anyone. ( )

It was a very well plotted and captivating tale of buried secrets. Jane knows that she is the only living soul that knows the truth behind the deaths of her friends from twenty years ago. She had hoped and prayed that it would never come to light but now it has. Someone has found her journal with the details of the deaths and begins to recreate the past. I have read a couple Carol Goodman's other books but I believe this one is absolutely her best. The story jumps back and forth between Jane's past and present but is very easy to follow. Anyone that likes a well told mystery should give this author a try. ( )

It was a very well plotted and captivating tale of buried secrets. Jane knows that she is the only living soul that knows the truth behind the deaths of her friends from twenty years ago. She had hoped and prayed that it would never come to light but now it has. Someone has found her journal with the details of the deaths and begins to recreate the past. I have read a couple Carol Goodman's other books but I believe this one is absolutely her best. The story jumps back and forth between Jane's past and present but is very easy to follow. Anyone that likes a well told mystery should give this author a try. ( )

This book is quite the page turner. Set at an all girls boarding school, this mystery novel weaves together a scintillating portrait of teenage angst and gothic romanticism. Told through the lens of main character Jane Hudson, one is able to experience Jane's world as a naive adolescent and as a single mother rediscovering herself while forcing her to re-examine her past. ( )